When you’re building a learning experience, how your audience consumes your content matters just as much as the content itself!
Think about it: a quick product update requires a totally different pace than a rigorous compliance course or a 30-day habit-building challenge.
Design the exact experience your learners need using Gnowbe’s three learning modes: Unlocked, Daily, and Streak.
These modes control how learners navigate and progress through your sessions, allowing you to choose the option that best fits your curation goals.
Let's break down how they work and when to use them!
1. Unlocked Learning: The "Choose Your Own Adventure" Mode
This is the default setting for any new program you create, and it’s all about ultimate flexibility.
- How it works:
- Learners can jump around between sessions in any order they like.
- If they want to skip ahead to Session 5 and come back to Session 2 later, they can (unless you choose to manually lock a specific session).
- Best used for: Resource libraries, quick reference guides, or any program where you don't intend to control the pace or order of learning. It’s perfect for independent learners who know exactly what information they need to grab and go.
2. Daily Learning: The "One Day at a Time" Habit Builder
If you want to keep the pace light and bite-sized, Daily Learning is your best friend. It’s specifically designed to drive daily habits and long-term behavior change.
- How it works:
- Learners can only unlock one session per day, relative to their personal progress.
- New sessions unlock at 12 am (midnight) in the learner's local time zone.
- Here is the catch that keeps them engaged: the next session only unlocks if they actually open and start their current day's session.
- If they skip a day without opening the app, the next session stays locked until the day after they return.
- Best used for: Continuous skill development, leadership coaching, wellbeing programs, or anything where reflection and daily application are key. It stops learners from bingeing everything at once and forces them to digest the material in sustainable, daily doses.
3. Streak Learning: The "Master the Fundamentals" Sequence
Streak Learning is all about structure, sequence, and accountability.
- How it works:
- This is strictly sequential learning. Learners must complete every single action in their current session before the next one unlocks.
- However, unlike Daily Learning, there is no time limit—if a learner is on a roll and finishes three sessions back-to-back, they can keep going as long as they complete the work.
- For example, when starting a program, only Session 1 is open. Completing Session 1 automatically unlocks Session 2, while the rest remain locked.
- Best used for: Critical or structured content like compliance training, technical product training, or onboarding. It gives you peace of mind knowing that learners can’t skip ahead to advanced concepts without mastering the fundamentals first.
How to Set Your Program's Learning Mode
- Access your program in Creator Mode.
- On the left sidebar, click Program Settings.
- Expand Learning Mode and select Unlock, Daily, or Streak.
💡 Curator Tip: Before you launch, ask yourself: Do my learners need freedom, a daily habit, or a strict step-by-step path? Matching your content to the right mode is the secret to keeping engagement high and making the learning stick!
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Why do vampires seem sick? They're always coffin
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*This is irrelevant to the guide; we just want to entertain you for a bit while you’re here! 🤣